It’s that time again when students become swamped with midterms and assignments. School begins to conquer the lives of students, getting rid of any social life and introducing high levels of stress and anxiety. The problem is that often people do not know how to do with it.

It would appear as if all the professors get together and make everything due at the same time and schedule midterms close together.

Expecting the best from students without giving them the means to succeed reflects on the student, professor and system. I am currently in my third year of communications and up until this year, I had never had a professor who was willing to be flexible with deadlines.

Lately, I fortunately have found that many professors I have understand what it is like to be a student dealing with school, jobs and a social life. Based on my experience, it’s luck that dictates whether you have an understanding prof or not, and that leaves students with added uncertainty.

Some profs are willing to work with their students, even giving alternative dates before they have been asked for. When this kindness is taken advantage of, it is a great help to students who have too much on their plate.

Like everyone else, I deal with constant stress caused by school-related issues and responsibilities. Often, this becomes too much and a release of some sort is desperately needed. Recently, I have started to participate in activities that relieve stress and allow me to escape from reality, even if only for a short while.

One of the best ways to relieve stress is to get active. This can be something as simple as going for a walk and clearing your head or participating in a high-energy sport. The point is to allow your brain to think about something other than all of the work that lies ahead.

Personally, the sport that I use to relieve stress is archery. This under-appreciated sport demands that your mind focus on the target and the movements that are necessary to hit the target. You focus on the position of the bow, drawing back the string, your breathing rate and ultimately, getting the arrow to smoothly soar towards (hopefully) the centre of the target. In other words, it allows you to block out all other thoughts, giving your mind a chance to de-stress. And an added bonus, you feel pretty badass.

To avoid stress, plan ahead. Pick a week that you have nothing to do and finish a major assignment. Start essays early and work on them steadily. One of the best studying tactics I have found is study groups. Readings can be divided amongst the group making the workload lighter. Anything that is unclear can be discussed amongst the group.

Ultimately, do not let school-related stress consume you, Allow your brain to have time to become de-stressed.